CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from various wire reports each morning:

ALLIGATOR POINT (NBC) - Nathan Fillion ("Firefly") has been set as the lead in the Peacock's comedy pilot from Kelsey Grammer's Grammnet Productions. The comedy has been described as "'Cheers' in a Florida oyster bar." Fillon had previously signed a talent holding deal with NBC.

CRACKING UP (FOX) - "SNL" alum Molly Shannon is set to join the cast of Mike White's ("Pasadena") latest, where she will play Lesley, the mother of a crazy Beverly Hills family that takes in a psychology grad student. Previously cast are newcomers Nicholas d'Agosto and David Walton.

DICKS (WB) - Rhea Perlman ("Cheers," "Kate Brasher") has signed on to her husband Danny DeVito's drama pilot for the Frog. Perlman will play Mrs. Wabash, a teacher to four kids who go to junior college and learn how to be private investigators. DeVito and Jersey TV regulars Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher and John Landgraf are executive producing the pilot along with Sony Pictures Television. Judy Greer ("Jawbreaker") had previously been cast as one of the four kids.

MR. AMBASSADOR (NBC) - Derek Jacobi ("Gladiator") has joined the cast of Rupert Everett's long-in-the-works comedy, a farcical fish-out-of-water vehicle centering on an eccentric British ambassador (Everett) to the U.S.

SKIN (FOX) - Ron Silver ("The West Wing") is in final negotiations to star in Jerry Bruckheimer's latest which centers on the daughter of a porn industry mogul who falls in love with the son of a district attorney, whose quest is to take the porn king down. It is not known which role Silver is up for.

UNTITLED FLETT-GIORDANO/RANBERG PROJECT (ABC) - Reid Scott (of last year's failed pilot "With You in Spirit") is set as the lead of producers' Anne Flett-Giordano and Chuck Ranberg's ("Encore! Encore!") comedy pilot about a man from a conservative background who is betrothed to the daughter of a gay couple. Andy Cadiff, who is already directing two other Alphabet pilots - "Platonically Incorrect" and "My Life With Men" - is on board to direct.

UNTITLED RON WHITE PROJECT (FOX) - Melinda McGraw has been cast as the female lead in White's comedy project, which follows the exploits of Ron White's character and his girlfriend (McGraw), who run a pottery factory in Mexico.